Published: November 10, 2008 08:05 pm      

FALLS SCHOOLS SERIES: Are out-of-town conferences worth the expense?

Every year, there are dozens of possible conferences an educator can attend. And with registration fees, flights, lodging and meals, they aren’t cheap, usually costing around a couple thousand dollars per attendee.

The Niagara Gazette looked through roughly 20,000 credit card statements and receipts from the Niagara Falls City School District over the past four years and found dozens of trips for conferences.

They included the America’s Choice National Conference in Arizona, which Deputy Superintendent Cynthia Bianco, board member Don King and High School Administrator Susan Green attended. Receipts showed costs for the four-day trip included: $757 per person to stay at the three-diamond Embassy Suites Hotels, flights for $389.60 per person, $60 in travel agent fees, a $106 car rental, $450.94 in restaurant meals and about $500 per person for conference registration, depending on the package chosen.

And there are plenty of other conferences Falls employees have attended in destinations ranging from nearby Utica and Albany to tourist cities like San Francisco, Albuquerque, New York, Denver and even Honolulu, costing thousands of dollars to attend.

But Superintendent Carmen Granto — who, according to billing records, has been a frequent out-of-town traveler over the years — said some grants require attendance at national conferences, while other conferences serve as a training tool.

“It’s not an accident student scores have gone up — it comes from an intense kind of staff development,” Granto said. “The vast majority of takes place in the school district here, but there are occasions when we send teachers and administrators out to get staff development.”

But just like the meals and golf outings the Gazette found, some travel expenses were not justified as having to do with a conference or anything district-related.

Those include Granto’s October 2007 stay at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Dallas for $1,115.25 for five nights, plus $294 for ground travel. Or flights Granto booked for Monterey, Calif. this January for $619.39, flights for Dallas in October 2007 for $368 or flights for Phoenix in January 2005 for $256.70. Or Granto’s June 2006 trip to San Diego, which cost $2082.03 for lodging and meals alone, with no indication as to why he was in San Diego or why the district should cover the cost.

Just as with the other undocumented expenses, board President Robert Kazeangin said the flights and hotel stays should not have been paid for without justification. But part of the problem was Granto’s contract entitled him to take trips without any prior approval.

Other employees have always had to submit a request form in advance estimating the total costs. Usually, a limit is set at $200 per day, except for more costly cities like New York.

But that policy exemption for Granto was changed this year, Kazeangin said. Last month, state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said Granto charged personal traveling expenses to his district credit card and failed to provide proper documentation for trips. DiNapoli recommended Granto must obtain prior approval for trips from the board, which Kazeangin said has been done.

“We are looking very closely at each one of our policies,” he said. “We’ve been lackadaisical and have been very trusting. I think the comptroller has certainly opened our eyes and is making us be more aware of what is going on.”

But how does the board know staff members are actually attending the conferences for which they sign up? Again, some trust is involved.

“When administrators go, they will make a report as to what conference was about,” Kazeangin said. “Now, do I know they attended every single meeting? I don’t. I would hope they are going to attend the conferences, but they’re easy to take advantage of — that would be very irresponsible and we wouldn’t want that type of employee working for us in the first place.”

The board, however, knows the conferences have value. The Board of Education attended the New York School Boards Association conference in New York City last month and it was there board member Nick Vilardo learned about a whistle-blowing policy some other districts have adopted. He presented a copy of the policy to the district’s audit committee at a meeting three weeks ago for consideration. The issues cited in DiNapoli’s audit could’ve been prevented, he said.

“There were remarks made, ‘Why didn’t somebody say something?’” Vilardo said. “Maybe some people were afraid to talk to their boss because they thought they’d get retaliated against. ... If someone came forward, it would’ve saved us a lot of money and a lot of embarrassment.”

Still, the costs can add up. Bianco’s credit card statement for Aug. 25, 2006 showed $14,586.22 in charges for that month alone — most of it being related to conference trips for district staff.

With a $6 million deficit projected for next year and January cuts on the horizon, Granto said attendance at conferences may be a luxury the district can no longer afford.

“If and when we make cuts in January, those will be the first things we’ll whack,” Granto said. “No more traveling.”

Contact reporter Caitlin Murrayat 282-2311, ext. 2251.